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Breaking News

31 Wounded, Gunman Dead in Jerusalem Shooting Attack

Aired January 22, 2002 - 10:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Other breaking news, once again out of Jerusalem. A gunman opening fire in a crowded marketplace. At least 10 people injured.

Our Mike Hanna is in Jerusalem. Are you on the -- no -- are you on the scene, Mike, or are at the bureau?

MIKE HANNA, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, I am indeed, Daryn. I'm not on the scene, I'm in the Jerusalem Bureau, which is just up the road from where the shooting took place within the last half hour or so. The casualty figures that we now have from hospital sources, is that 31 people have been admitted to hospital in the wake of the gun attack.

Five of these, say the hospital authorities, are in a serious condition. No reports of any fatalities, apart from the alleged gunman, who actually carried out the attack. The police chief of Jerusalem says that police were very quickly on the scene when the gunman opened fire at the height of rush hour in the very middle of Jerusalem.

Police officers shot the gunman, killed him, the police officer -- the police chief of Jerusalem, says the gunman did not even have time to change the magazine on his automatic rifle.

Nonetheless, more than 30 people wounded, according hospital authorities. Five in a serious condition. But the only fatality reported at this stage, is that of the person who carried out the gun attack, according the Israeli police, Daryn.

KAGAN: Mike, this can't come as the biggest surprise, this attack, given what is happening in the Palestinian areas. What the Israelis have -- how they have stepped up security there and their occupation. And given what Hamas has been saying, in terms of they believe they're now at war with Israel. Forget about that cease-fire.

HANNA: Well, what we are seeing here is a sequence of attack and counter attack -- of violence and retaliation. In the course of the morning, Israeli forces killed four Palestinian militants in the West Bank city of Nablus. A dispute on how they were killed. Israeli forces say they were killed when they returned fire. The Palestinians say that the four were actually assassinated in cold blood by Israeli forces. That they were attacked while asleep. Nonetheless, in the wake of that, both sides agreed that all four were members of the militant Hamas movement, and Hamas released a statement as saying that they would carry out revenge for the killing of the four this morning. Another Hamas spokesman saying that it was now a question of waging all out war against Israel.

So, certainly, in the wake of these series of incidents, it would be a fair assumption to link the killing of the four this morning with the shooting in Jerusalem in course of the afternoon. But, that being said, one must stress at this stage, no claim of responsibility has been made by any group for the shooting in Jerusalem.

That shooting, just to repeat the latest casualty figures. We have 31 people wounded, admitted to hospital. Five of these in a serious condition. Only one fatality. That fatality, according Israeli police, the man who actually carried out the gun attack. Daryn.

KAGAN: Mike Hanna bringing us the latest from Jerusalem. Mike, thank you very much.

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